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The term “Florida room” generally refers to an extra living area that features extra glass to bring in light and to enjoy an outside view. Usually it’s at the back of the house, and may have one, two or three walls that are primarily glass. It may or may not be air conditioned. Think of an enclosed sun porch. Many St Petersburg homes have Florida rooms, whether they are small 2 bedroom retirement homes or luxury waterfront mansions.

A Florida room has some features in common with a Sun Room, but a sun room is generally on the side of a house. The Old Northeast has many homes with one or two sunrooms. Often a sun porch is enclosed to become a sun room. Florida rooms and sun rooms certainly have windows and light in common, but sun rooms are generally a part of frame homes that are built over a crawl space; Florida rooms are often added to homes built on a concrete slab.

What about a solarium? That’s also a room with glass to let in lots of light. Generally a solarium has a glass roof; Florida rooms and sun rooms have solid roofs, though perhaps with a skylight. Solariums can be attached or detached structures.

Back to the Florida room: it’s often more casual and may be furnished with indoor or outdoor furniture or a combination of the two. Often wicker and rattan are used. Even the Florida Governor’s Mansion has a Florida room. Once an exterior porch, it’s now a casual room, wrapped with windows that allow in the famous Florida sunshine.